12. 10,000 Emeralds
Est. Value Today: $500 million* (Alleged)
Year Disappeared: N/A Year Discovered: 2010
This is perhaps one of the most fascinating entries on this list, as it is not really an underwater treasure, though it pretended to be. Jay Miscovich was a real estate agent from Pennsylvania when he, supposedly, uncovered thousands of emeralds as part of the shipwreck of a 1500s Spanish galleon.
10,000 Emeralds @takemetothesource/Pinterest
But, alas, that was not what happened. Miscovich didn’t find a pirate’s treasure—he bought emeralds at the store, planted them, and rediscovered them as a way to get out of debt after some bad investments. His scam was unveiled when the emeralds were analyzed and found to have been coated with epoxy. Miscovich passed away in 2013, and his hoard of faux emeralds has remained in legal limbo ever since.
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